Students and Parents Jive in the Gym

The students of Boren Elementary put on their dancing shoes for the 8th annual Jivin' in the Gym event. This program gives students the opportunity to invite their parents to P.E. class to learn a series of fun dances.

Boren P.E. teacher Cheryl Stranahan started this event to encourage parent involvement with students on campus. It has been very successful over the past several years and very well received.

In addition to the program being good exercise for parents and students, it also serves as a great way for parents to get to know some of the Mansfield ISD staff.



(Editor's note: The Jivin' in the Gym activities at Boren Elementary took place mid January, but we thought it was still cool enough to share.)

Harmon Hero Award Winner Never Misses a Beat

Updated April 18, 2011
Each year, the Score a Goal in the Classroom organization selects one outstanding educator to receive the prestigious Chesapeake Energy Hero Award. This award honors the day-to-day commitment of hardworking school employees; the true heroes of education!

We are proud to announce that our very own Catherine Schulze, the music teacher at Glenn Harmon Elementary School has been selected as the 2011 Chesapeake Energy Hero Award winner!

So what makes Ms. Schulze stand out above 600 other nominees?

In addition to skillfully keeping the attention of a class full of elementary school children, Schulze is known for her exceptional classroom organization and order. She also exudes compassion and energy throughout each school day.

Schulze, who holds a Masters degree in Music Education from the University of North Texas, is a continuous learner of different teaching methods. She implements an original technique she calls Focus Movement, which incorporates motion into the music. This activity allows students to express the music through their bodies while increasing rhythm, coordination and balance.

“I want the kids to feel like music is natural and playful,” said Schulze.

Schulze also engages students through the use of the Promethean Interactive Whiteboard in her classroom.

“The kids are so techno-savvy,” Schulze said. “Sometimes they catch on to the tech tools even quicker than I do!”

Soon to complete her 14th year of teaching for Mansfield ISD, Schulze’s love of musical instruction is as strong as ever. Her joy and devotion to music shine through as she interacts with her students each day.

“She sets her expectations up front and the kids know what they are,” said Glenn Harmon Principal Sharon Ferguson.  “They are on task and focused because they enjoy what they are doing. They want to be there and they want to be active.”

Principal Ferguson made it clear that there is no shortage of kind things to say about Schulze. She pours her heart into every music lesson and the students are captivated by each note.

“I feel I am so lucky to be honored for something I love to do,” said Schulze. “I can’t wait to get to work every day!”



Shulze received the Hero Award at a concert by the world-renowned Schola Cantorum of Texas Choir. The concert was held at Mansfield First United Methodist Church at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, April 11, 2011.

Superintendent Update - March 2011

Dr. Bob Morrison shares an update on the financial status of the district, new schedules for intermediate and middle school students for next year, the naming procedure for high school #5 and the Mansfield ISD parent survey:



Watch more videos on the MISDTV channel.

Seven from Ben Barber Qualify for TSA State Contest

Midlothian, TX - Students from the Ben Barber chapter of the Technology Student Association (TSA) competed at the TSA Regional Contest on March 24 and 25. Students competed in projects such as Webmastering, Biotechnology, Technical Sketching, Engineering, Video Game Design, and many more.

Although Ben Barber TSA has been housed in many buildings over the years, it has always had the same purpose: To give all Mansfield ISD high school students the experiences and friendships that TSA has to offer.

Present at the TSA Regional Contest were two Texas TSA State Officers, Travis Welborn (State Reporter) and Justin Ehlert (State Secretary). Travis attends Mansfield High School and Justin Timberview High School, both in MISD. Travis and Justin work with the other state officers to prepare the annual leadership conference, update the state delegation through newsletters, and represented Texas at the national conference in Baltimore, Maryland this past summer.

Ben Barber TSA has had a rising number of students attend conferences each year, as well as competing at the national TSA conferences in Nashville, Tennessee, Orlando, Florida, Denver, Colorado, and Baltimore, Maryland. Ready to continue competing, members will be attending the Texas TSA State Contest at the Waco Convention Center in Waco, Texas May 5-7, 2011.

The following National Qualifying Events advanced to compete at the Texas TSA State Contest:

• 1st Biotechnology Design – Travis Welborn, Lynn Nguyen
• 1st Scientific Visualization (SciVis) – Travis Welborn, Justin Ehlert
• 1st Video Game Design – Justin Ehlert, Travis Welborn
• 2nd Desktop Publishing – Lynn Nguyen
• 2nd Prepared Presentation – Clancy Taylor
• 2nd Webmastering – Travis Welborn, Lynn Nguyen
• 3rd Engineering Design – Ryan Thompson, Christian Negratti
• 3rd Technical Sketching – Ryan Thompson
• State Qualifier – Ross Kelly
• State Qualifier – Ryan Thompson

Advisor Shyla Vire, who teaches Flash Based Game Design at Ben Barber Career Tech Academy and Concepts of Engineering at Mansfield High School, leads Ben Barber TSA. If you would like more information about TSA is, you can contact Mrs. Vire via email or visit the Ben Barber TSA website.

Two Destination ImagiNation Teams Advance to State

Mansfield ISD was represented at the regional Destination ImagiNation competition by 14 campus teams. The contest took place on March 5 at Byron Nelson High School. 

A total of 252 teams from the Greater Fort Worth Region competed in six different problem-solving challenges ranging from architectural design to improvisational acting.

We are proud to announce that teams from Elizabeth Smith Elementary and Mary Lillard Intermediate will compete at the state tournament in Lubbock, Texas on April 1 – 2.

Please join us in congratulating these creative kids!

The Giant Munchkins Team from Mary Lillard Intermediate

Rising Star Teams
Mary Jo Sheppard Elementary (2)
Roberta Tipps Elementary (2)
Thelma Jones Elementary (1)

Competitive Teams
Challenge A: Technical
6th Place, D.P. Morris Elementary

Challenge C: Fine Arts
2nd Place & Advancing to State, Elizabeth Smith Elementary

Challenge D: Improvisational
2nd Place, Asa Low Intermediate
4th Place, Anna May Daulton Elementary
5th Place, Mary Orr Intermediate

Challenge E: Structural
4th Place, Mary Jo Sheppard Elementary

Challenge E: Structural
2nd Place & Advancing to State, Mary Lillard Intermediate

MISD Destination ImagiNation Representative: Hope Hutchison

About Destination ImagiNation:
Destination ImagiNation Inc. is an innovative organization that teaches creativity, teamwork and problem solving to students across the U.S. and in more than 30 countries. Destination ImagiNation is an unconventional team learning experience where student teams all over the world solve mind-bending challenges. Teams are tested to think on their feet, work as a team and devise original solutions.

Students Prove the Power of Pennies at Willie Brown Elementary

The students of Willie E. Brown Elementary School helped save lives by participating in the Pennies for Patients campaign benefiting The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). 

For three weeks, students brought in spare change to donate to those whose lives have been affected by blood cancers, such as leukemia, which strikes more children and young adults under the age of 20 than any other type of cancer. 

This was Brown’s fifth consecutive year to participate in the fundraiser, and this year they were on a mission to break their previous record.

The school counselor, Lisa Arnold, encouraged the students by displaying the progress of each class on a chart in the cafeteria. 

“I counted each and every penny to make sure I recognized the hard work of each classroom,” said Arnold. “When it comes to giving, these kids really dig deep.”

The students that made donations were entered into a drawing for ice cream, but not all students were in it for the reward.

“Some kids donated their birthday money and said they didn’t want their name included in the drawings,” said Arnold. “They just wanted to give!”

Two 3^rd graders from Mrs. Cortez’s class raised $140 over the weekend by setting up a booth in their neighborhood and selling homemade cookies and fresh fruit. 

We are so proud to announce that the students of Willie E. Brown were successful in breaking their previous record, bringing in a total of $3,050.93! This brings their grand total over the past 5 years to $9,473.06!

 

To thank the students of Willie Brown Elementary, the LLS will present the school with an award packet including a certificate, a letter of appreciation, a gift card for school supplies and special pennants for classrooms who donated $100 or more. In addition, the Olive Garden in Mansfield will provide a free pasta lunch to the top donating classroom. 

“When a school comes together the way Willie E. Brown has, it truly demonstrates what a difference pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters can make,” said Steve Abrey, Manager of School and Youth Programs for the LLS. 

The money raised by Brown Elementary goes specifically toward cancer research, and has proven to make a significant difference in the research progress. In 2009 - 2010, over $22 million was raised by schools throughout the country which participated in School and Youth Programs like Pennies for Patients.

 “These kids are truly making a difference and saving lives,” said Abrey. “Every little bit counts, and it goes a long way.”

For more information on the Pennies for Patients campaign, please contact Steve Abrey, Campaign Manager at 972.996.5935 or 800.800.6702 at ext. 5935.

Saving Lives Is Everybody's Business: Every 15 Minutes Program

The following is from an email sent from the local community sponsor of an event that will serve as a fundraiser for the 'Every 15 Minutes' program:

Community Comes Together For Our High School Students
by Daryle Perez, Alternative Funeral Services
March 10, 2011

As funeral professionals in our community, we have had to experience the difficult process of making funeral arrangements for a student that has died due to an alcohol related collision.

We as a community feel the loss and come together to greive in our own way and at times thinking that it could have happened to my family.

Life's lessons are best learned though experience. Unfortunately, when the target audience is teens and the topic is drinking and texting while driving, experience is not the teacher of choice.

So what can we do? Educate.

Every 15 Minutes Program
The Every 15 Minutes Program offers real-life experience without the real-life risks. This emotionally charged program, entitled Every 15 Minutes, is an event designed to dramatically instill teenagers with the potentially dangerous consequences of drinking alcohol and texting while driving. This powerful program will challenge students to think about drinking, texting while driving, personal safety, and the responsibility of making mature decisions when lives are involved.

Historically, only two high schools in the Mansfield ISD participated. The decision was made to share the experience with all four MISD high schools. Funding is provided by the Mansfield Police Department's "Every 15 Minutes" program and the addition of two more schools created the need for additional funding from the individual schools.

We believe that this program greatly impacts our high school students and that it is the responsibility of our business community to ensure that these types of programs continue in the future.

Benefit Art Show
We would like to invite your to an evening of art and music as we help to raise monies for the "Every 15 Minutes" program.

Saving Lives: Benefit Art Show
3/26/11  5:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Alternative Funeral Services

1556 W. Heritage Parkway at HWY 287

Admission is Free - Donations will be accepted

Donated artwork will be auctioned and all proceeds will be given to the Mansfield Police Department's "Every 15 Minutes" fund.

Get directions and information about AFS Gallery Night Benefit Art Show.
Donations can be made payable to: AFS-1556 Heritage Parkway, Mansfield, TX 76063

Mary Orr Student Council Helps Old Bikes Find New Homes

In these tough economic times, there are endless opportunities to lend a helping hand to someone in need. Although we may be facing financial challenges of our own, there are still many ways we can make a positive impact in the lives’ of others.

The Student Council members of Mary Orr Intermediate demonstrated that vision of goodwill by hosting the “Wheelie Big Bike Drive,” benefitting a local nonprofit organization called Pedal Power.

Pedal Power, whose motto is, “help us put the 'cycle' in recycle,” is based in North Texas and was founded by mountain bike enthusiasts. The volunteer organization is dedicated to collecting, refurbishing and distributing second-hand bicycles to those in need locally and abroad.

The Student Council members of Mary Orr put the pedal to the metal to plan, promote and execute the bike drive. Blake Lindsey, the Student Council sponsor played a key role in the process.

“It was a pleasure for the Student Council to carry out its mission of serving our community and world by working with Pedal Power,” said Student Council sponsor Blake Lindsey. “Their organization is dedicated to helping others both locally and abroad.”

Weeks of hard work culminated on the chilly afternoon of March 5. Despite the brisk breeze, many warm-hearted Mansfield residents came out to support the Student Council students in this worthy cause.

Among the supporters was Principal Alma Martinez, who braved the weather to facilitate the event.

At the close of the event, the students were proud to present a collection of 40 bicycles as well as $100. Congratulations to these students, whose hard work amounted to a “wheelie” generous gesture!

Legacy High School Lip Dub for Cancer Patient

After three weeks of rehearsal and preparation, Ethan Hallmark, Legacy’s 2011 L.U.C.K. Week recipient, viewed the lip dub created by Legacy clubs, sports teams and organizations. The “one-take” video debuted at the Miss LHS pageant and then shown at the pep rally in Ethan’s honor.

L.U.C.K. Week stands for Legacy United in Caring and Kindness and was held March 7-11.

Student Council and Legacy Student Media combined talents to make a lip dub music video for the L.U.C.K. Week adoptee, Ethan Hallmark. The two songs used were Don’t Stop Believin’ by Glee and Get Back Up by Toby Mac, Ethan’s favorite singer.

Read more on Legacy High School's student newspaper, The Rider Online.

Mansfield High School Students Fall for Physics

Image by danieljohnsonjr via FlickrEver wonder what goes on inside your body as it drops 300 feet at 75 miles per hour from the peak of a rollercoaster? With the help of an Apple iPod Touch device and a little bravery, the physics students from Mansfield High School were able to solve this thrilling mystery.

It all began last school year, when Physics teacher Michael Strange received a grant from the Mansfield ISD Education Foundation for his program, “iTouch, iDo, iLearn… Better!”

The grant funds were used to purchase Apple iPod Touch devices as well as an app called Accelplot, which measures G force with a tool called an accelerometer.

The physics students and teachers visited Six Flags Over Texas for Physics Day, where they spent the afternoon measuring motion, acceleration and velocity on various rollercoasters. The students strapped their iPod Touch devices to their arms as they rode each ride, all the while, the accelerometer tool measured motion on a second-by-second scale.



After conducting their experiments at the amusement park, students returned to the classroom to create 3D digital replicas of each roller coaster. By comparing the data collected during their experiments to the 3D images, they were able to determine the maximum and minimum points of kinetic energy. They were also able to determine that the body felt lightest as they were descending from the highest point of the rollercoaster.

This program transformed a classroom lesson into a fun and creative experiment for students. Physics teachers Michael Strange and Byron Barrett had the opportunity to share this program with other educators at the state Science conference through the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT).

“We hope that this will allow other teachers to imitate what we a doing at Mansfield High to promote and encourage future projects,” said Strange. “Our main goal was to merge Physics learning with today’s technologies.”

Video by: Jacob Pritchard, Sergio Almendariz and Jonathan Harris.

DECA Students Make History at State Competition

After a record-breaking outcome at the Regional competition in January, 26 DECA students from Ben Barber Career Tech Academy advanced to the 2011 Texas DECA State Career Development Conference (CDC) February 24 – 26 in Fort Worth, where they continued to make history for the district with nine wins and the election of Jordan Robinson for 2011 – 2012 Texas DECA State President.

As the first ever State Officer from the district, Robinson (pictured at right) will have many opportunities to represent Mansfield ISD and Texas DECA throughout the year. Robinson’s campaign tag line was, “Now that’s a plan,” with his platform focusing on a plan for Texas DECA. Robinson ran with 6 other extremely qualified candidates, but in the end, he was elected by 3,000 students attending the Texas DECA State Conference and Competition.

Ben Barber DECA will be well represented by a group of outstanding young men and women at the DECA International Competition in Orlando, Florida, April 29 - May 3, 2011.

Congratulations to the nine students advancing in the competition:
(Student, Event, Place, High School)

Maliz Mahop, MET Job, Interview Event, 1st Place, Timberview
Washima Huq, Internet Marketing Plan, 1st Place, Summit
Jordan Robinson, Internet Marketing Plan, 1st Place, Timberview
Anjola Coker, Free Enterprise, 1st Place, Mansfield
Joshlyn Willis, Principles of Business Administration, 1st Place, Summit
Kelli McQuesten, Learn and Earn Business Plan, 2nd Place, Legacy
Maliz Mahop, Learn and Earn Business Plan, 2nd Place, Timberview
Chad Lane, Internet Marketing, 2nd Place, Summit
Anjola Coker, Marketing Management, 2nd Place, Mansfield

Jordan Robinson – Elected 2011 – 2012 Texas DECA State President
Washima Huq – MARKETING EDUCATORS OF TEXAS $1,000.00 SCHOLARSHIP

Advisors: Cathy Dunn Slagle, Mark Roquemore, Mike Asato and Brooke Baker

Additional Information: Founded in 1946, the Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) has touched the lives of more than 10 million students, educators, school administrators and business professionals. DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe.

Robotics students inspire their sponsors

Guest post from Susan Sevier, CS teacher at Ben Barber Career Tech Academy in Mansfield ISD

The Crusading Cucumbers from San Antonio contest

Well, we did it again. Mansfield ISD robotics swept Texas, taking the highest honors at the Alamo and SW Regional FIRST Robotics FTC (First Tech Challenge) contests in Texas.

The Crusading Cucumbers, team #3768, won the “Inspire,” on Thursday March 3, 2011 at the Alamo Regional Championship in San Antonio.

And the Fighting Pickles, team #127, won the same "Inspire" award at the SW Regional contest hosted by UTA two days later on Saturday March 5.

The Inspire award is the highest award FTC gives; it means the team embodies all the aspects FIRST perceives as the model team to promote STEM concepts.
(STEM refers to Scientific, Technological, Engineering, and Mathematical concepts.)


Based on this accomplishment, both teams earned an automatic invite to the FIRST Robotics World Championship in St. Lewis, Missouri in late April.

As if that isn’t enough, The Crusading Cucumbers, also captained the winning alliance team at the Alamo contest and won the whole competitive portion of the Alamo FTC competition. This would also earn them an automatic invite to the world contest, but it got passed on to our friendly alliance partner, The Dragons, team #3937 of South Lake Carroll.

In addition, at the SW contest an 11th grade Summit HS computer science student, Clark Navidad, got offered an internship from a Richardson/Plano area software company. A parent sponsor of a Plano, Jasper HS, team offered this internship based on Clark’s ability to problem solve, communicate and use critical thinking skills to fix all his teams programming problems under the stress of the contest constraints. It was truly impressive. Without Clark’s help the Plano robot would not have been able to compete. Other programming students, helped with at least six other teams at the contest, from updating firmware to setting up and explaining the programming environment.

Finally, while still at the contest, Fighting Pickles programmers, Clark Navidad and Mike Kojder, received word that they had advanced to the national level contests for Business Professionals of America. Clark Navidad will compete in C++ and Mike Kojder will compete in Java programming, at the BPA National contest in Washington DC.

The students were all amazing and the success is almost overwhelming. James Wilson and I were blown away by how all these students went about taking care of business throughout the contest. To say we are beaming with pride would be an understatement. We had teams lining up waiting for our assistance, and even the contest officials were coming to us for help on occasion. We were without a doubt the most spirited teams at each contest.

Timberview High School's HOG Week 2011

Timberview High School puts on an annnual HOG Week which stands for Helping Others Thru Giving. Thanks to THS for the following info on the history of the program and plans for this year.

Here is the HISTORY OF THE HOG:

• In 2007, Timberview Student Council wanted to give back to the Mansfield Community, support a child in need and have fun while doing it! Thus HOG Week was created! HOG Week stands for 'Helping Others Thru Giving.' Collectively we have raised $63,000 supporting young children & organizations across the world! It is an exciting way to educate teens and our community about the importance of giving and positively affecting the life of someone in need...making wishes come true!
• In 2006, THS partnered with Make-A-Wish and sent a young boy diagnosed with Sickle-Cell Anemia to the Pro Bowl.
• In 2007, THS supported a faculty member's son, involved in a four-wheeling accident and is now successfully adjusting to life as a paraplegic.
• In 2008, THS partnered with Make-A-Wish and sent a young girl diagnosed with Wilms Tumor to Disney World.
• In 2009/10, THS partnered with TOMS Shoes and Make-A-Wish, sending over 500 shoes to children across the world, assisted in the start of 'Leah's Legacy 5K Run' supporting our '08 HOG Week recipient and helped send a Make-A-Wish recipient to Washington, D.C....all student led.

2011 HOG Information:
This year, our 10-year-old recipient, Hayley wishes to go to Disney World! And we are going to make it happen in cooperation with Make-A-Wish. Hayley has been diagnosed with severe mitral stenosis.
 
Student Council has an amazing week jam-packed with everything from messy pep rallies to a male beauty pageant - event after event to make memories and raise money for a great cause.
 
(HOG Week starts Friday, March 4 - Friday, March 11) HOG WEEK SCHEDULE: We look forward to seeing you all at our fun-filled week of crazy HOG events! Please view our calendar for dates, times, locations and prices! If you have any questions, please see Ms. Mills.
 
Also, read The Outlook, THS student newspaper, story on HOG Week.